New powers for buyers

To keep pace with market trends, purchasing is evolving with unprecedented dynamism. Companies are investing huge resources in measures to increase the role of purchasing departments. The aim of the investment is to move buyers out of their traditional role as “cost gatekeepers” and increase the potential added value they can bring to organisations.

This obviously has a huge impact on the competence requirements for buyers as well as on employee development programmes.

The role of the trusted business advisor

The challenge for many purchasing staff is to moving from the role of service provider to that of trusted advisor within the organisation. To earn trust you have to earn it, and this takes time and effort. The buyer must not only understand the needs of the stakeholders, but also understand the extent of the challenges facing the company.

Competences of a professional business advisor are measured by the ability to provide vision, ideas and innovative solutions. While knowledge of strategy and negotiation techniques and market knowledge will continue to be among the most important skills, the ability to generate competitive advantage and the ability to react quickly to market changes will become equally important.

Digitalisation of the purchasing area

Technological developments will also have a not inconsiderable impact on the work of merchants. The biggest changes will be in the areas of efficiency, risk, commercial relations, innovation and sustainabilty. The implementation of advanced technological solutions will certainly make it necessary for purchasing staff to develop the competence to proactively and intelligently use the available data.

Change and employee development

The changes described above will also be a challenge for departments responsible for employee competence development and talent management. But about that in our next post.

Eveneum is organising workshops for purchasing staff. Our programme is not dry lectures and passive listening, but work on business cases. We start our cooperation with a careful analysis of the client's level of skills and knowledge, and on this basis we create a tailor-made competence development programme.